Rotary Back on Track

The Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki in Auckland, New Zealand has built a strong reputation and core capability in project managing in partnership with the local City Council Board, parkland clean up and pathway building linking existing communities to new sports ground facilities. Last summer our Rotary club was engaged as a partner by the Glenn Family Foundation to build three significant all weather pathways located at or adjacent to local primary schools.

Over 2000 people attended the

Ngati Otara Bike Pathway opening

Founded more than 30 years ago by philanthropist Sir Owen Glenn, his foundation prioritised large wide-reaching projects in Otara, a low decile economically challenged suburb, which focus on education, family wellbeing and sport.

The pathways provide a safe accessible location for children and families to exercise. Many local children have never ridden a bike in their life, so the club worked with local trusts to also help provide schools with bikes and safety equipment. Children (and adults) can learn to ride in a safe, controlled location away from traffic. Bike riding improves cognitive processing as well as the obvious fitness benefit. Healthy eating is taught concurrently. Local sports and health organisations have an on-going relationship with each participating school.

Local contractors have been engaged in the construction of the paths. Where possible, resources have been sourced from local business. The pathways are constructed from low maintenance recycled materials donated by local business of which on-going supply of material has been made available to ensure safety and sustainable operation of the paths will take place.

The three tracks combined extend over two kilometres of mostly flat terrain surrounding parks will be utilised by more than 500 students per week from the ten surrounding schools within a 1.5 km radius.

The pathways are also used by joggers, mothers walking their babies and sports teams. Fitness equipment and family areas are planned follow on projects linked to these pathways, and the project’s core goals of family wellbeing.

The Ngati Otara Bike Pathway opening was shared by the season launch of the Vodaphone Warriors NRL rugby league team. In addition to over 2000 local residents and children who turned up, it was a great media opportunity for the club with press, radio and television coverage.

Botany East Tamaki Rotarian Andy Kramer

and Honorary Member Joan Swift

Our formula for success has to been to leverage the vocational base across our small club of under 30 members. Many hands have made light work. Under the guidance of a Project Coordinator, Past President Ewen Brunskill, a well-tested plan to build relationships, engage Council and external organisations, plan and project manage the stages of construction, with follow through to launch event and on-going sustainability has been built.  Add to this the extra excitement these three pathways have created in the club, and we can truly say that our Rotary is back on track.

This highly successful project earned the club a District Public Relations award plus a Rotary International Significant Achievement Award and was also published in the New Zealand Communities in Action booklet.

-          By Past President Mike Jaggs, Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki

 

THE LOW DOWN

The building of the three local Bike Pathway was project managed by the Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki on behalf of the Glenn Family Foundation and the council Local Board.

The Ngati Otara Park opening event was shared with the Vodaphone Warriors season opening with over 2000 people in attendance, plus press, radio and TV media.

Success formula involves partnerships and leverage. 

Helping our youth push their boundaries in the great outdoors

- By Past President Mike Jaggs, Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki, Auckland, NZ

With over 4500 young people in the last 12 months alone cycled through the various courses available, Kokako Lodge Outdoor Education Camp continues their strong reputation for delivering courses in educational and personal excellence through outdoor pursuits to young people in South Auckland, NZ.

First built in 1990 by the Stuart family adjacent to the Hunua Falls in the Hunua Regional Park, this 85 bed residential camp has been constantly upgrading both its educational content and its facilities. Kokako Lodge takes its name from the endangered native Kokako bird, and weekly they work towards the return of Kokako to the Hunua Falls area.

Botany East Tamaki Rotarians at the Kokako Lodge opening of the new multifunction administration block

Managed on behalf of the Auckland City Council, the Kokako Lodge Trust with its many sponsors and supporters was proud to open the new multifunction administration block on August 14, 2013. Trust Chairman John Melville noted in his address, “Whilst Kokako Lodge is a not-for-profit organisation, it doesn't mean non-profit. This has allowed us to confidently embark on this building project. We are proud of the sound commercial basis for our organisation. Paying our way is no easy task and I would like to thank Laura Fourie, our Camp Director and her team, who continue to run the camp so professionally.”

Since her appointment, Laura has injected a new level of professionalism and commercial acumen to the running of the facility with continuous improvements in curriculum, training, equipment, facilities and engagement with the South Auckland community. Key sponsors and partners have also stepped up to assist, including the NZ Communities Trust, Four Winds Foundation and the Lion Foundation to name a few. A special thanks from John was also given to the Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki who, “as cornerstone partners with the Kokako Trust have made fantastic contributions this year, as in the past, and their involvement as Board Trustees is priceless.”

As part of their custodian license agreement, Kokako Lodge was tasked by the Auckland Council to work with the group of ten Achievement In Multicultural High Schools (AIMHI) low decile schools to promote outdoor education and support improved educational outcomes for students in AIMHI schools.  These AIMHI schools also provide two Trustees to the Kokako Trust Board. On the day of the new Administration Block opening, Otahuhu College students apply demonstrated the skill and courage required to conqueror the High Ropes challenge course.

With instructors now able to issue National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) and NZ Qualifications Authority (NZQA) credits on many course subjects, both within the camp environment and externally at schools and businesses, the new administration block plus works underway to upgrade the ventilation in the accommodation facilities and base facilities around the ropes courses, Kokako Lodge is well set to continue delivering their vision of “providing young people with the opportunity to recognise and achieve their potential” for decades to come. 

www.kokakolodge.org.nz

The Low Down

Kokako Lodge is situated in the foothills of the Hunua Ranges Regional Park, which is Auckland's largest park, at approximately 17 000 hectares.

As part of the license agreement with the Auckland Council, custodianship of Kokako Lodge was given to the Kokako Lodge Trust to work with the AIMHI schools.

Corporate and community group sponsors like the Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki provide Trustees for the Kokako Lodge Trust Board, assist with fundraising for both facility and equipment upgrades, plus assist with camp fees for low decile students who may otherwise not be able to experience such an outdoor education opportunity.

Enthusiastically and very successfully promoting Rotary

The Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki in Auckland recently put on another display at the Botany Town Centre and  had a wonderful day – meeting and greeting everyone.

Who wouldn't want to join Rotary after a chat with this enthusiastic crew!

The stall was set up by 9am complete with 2 pull up banners & our tear drop flag, plus we made use of the lawn outside Botany Mall and put out 2  more tear drop flags there as well. 

Members were highly visible in Rotary fluro vests and there were plenty of brochures handed out in addition to the public being able to browse  display boards showcasing past projects and have a read of Rotary information from display material such as copies of Rotary Down Under magazine and more.

An outcome of the display was that the club meeting following had 3 prospective new members at our plus a contact through www.rotarysouthpacific.org  with another prospective member keen to come to our next meeting, after being handed one of our brochures.  The club has a robust membership plan to ensure all prospective members are well looked after.

A South African Rotarian and his wife who visited the stand and are staying with their daughter in Flat Bush also want to come to visit before he goes back to Sth Africa.  He comes to visit twice a year for about three months, so we could also have a regular visiting Rotarian as well.

It was a very rewarding day and the result has been well above expectations and these days have proven so successful that the club will be doing this publicity day about 3 – 4 times a year in Botany Mall, as these are well worth the effort.

Submitted by: Dyann Calverley
www.botany.rotarysouthpacific.org

Additional Information

For some ideas about promoting Rotary at events and as stand-alone displays have a look at THIS WEB PAGE

Can we do it?

"Yes we can!”

Never were the immortal words of Bob the Builder more appropriate as Past President Pat Taylor challenged members of the Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki in Auckland, New Zealand to assist the Salvation Army with food parcels for the less fortunate over Christmas.
Three years ago the club collected 253 cans for the Salvation Army, so Pat set the club a challenging goal of collecting 300 cans by Christmas.

“The Salvation Army does a wonderful job in helping those less fortunate and  the extra demands at Christmas really place a strain on their stock of  emergency food items” explained Pat.

Over a period of ten weeks Pat coerced, threatened, begged and used a variety of devious means to extract as many cans as possible from Rotary members, visitors and friends of Rotary, resulting in a final tally of 641 cans.

Manager of the Salvation Army and fellow Rotarian Karl McInnes on receiving the cans said “ This is a truly magnificent achievement and will help put smiles on the faces of some of the most needy in our community. Once again Rotary has made a difference”.

When Santa doesn't come

What started off as the results of a particularly good Sheriff’s fine session last Christmas, has now become a planned activity for the Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki in Auckland, New Zealand. "This is one of those rewarding cases where both our major fundraiser and the recipients of the proceeds come from the same local catchment", said President Mike Jaggs.

Santa’s Sack: Rotarian Karl McInnes and President Mike Jaggs with the goodies for Santa’s sack

The club has been partnering with the Local Council Board for some years, project managing the development of a pathway system in the relatively new Rongomai Park. It's a low socio economic demographic surrounding this park, and many families will be missing out on Christmas this year. The park provides a safe place for kids to play. Now at least fifty kids will have something this Christmas to play with.

The club has also worked closely for many years with the Salvation Army who have been engaged to identify the families most at need in the Rongomai catchment.

Concurrently the club is also targeting another group of kids who face a bleak Christmas.
It's an unfortunate fact that Kidz First Children’s Hospital will have many children filling their wards this Christmas whose families also can't afford Christmas. Middlemore Foundation Executive Director Pam Tregonning and her team expect an influx of kids through the Emergency Department in the Christmas holidays, as well as those who will be staying in hospital for longer periods.  Thanks to the club’s generosity, some kids at least will receive a surprise visit from Santa they didn’t expect.  Mike added, "We've boosted Santa's sack with another fifty $10 gifts for some of these kids.” 

Christmas Kidz First: Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki President Mike Jaggs and Middlemore Foundation Executive Director Pam Tregonning with Santa’s sack gifts
 

This is a great example of many organisations working together to create a better community, and giving those less fortunate amongst us a reason to smile.  

Trees For Survival – Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki Inc. and Mission Heights Junior College

 

At Mission Heights Junior College, there are fewer textbooks, no computer labs, no rubbish bins, Classrooms are well lit with harvesting lights. The walls are mostly made of glass, and children wear smartcards around their necks. It sounds like science fiction and you know what, it pretty much is” according to PC World magazine when it visited this school just after it opened in 2009.

The Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki Inc, who include this school among the schools and colleges in its immediate area that it incorporates in its programmes, spent this Monday night at the Junior College, meeting some of the pupils and staff, and following up on progress of the “Trees For Survival” unit the Club sponsors.

Pupils are encouraged to work collaboratively together. They use Sun Microsystems Ultra Thin Client computers mounted  on the back of large screen monitors, and the student Smartcard system installed gives teach student access to any workstation in the College.

Each student at Mission Heights Junior College and the adjacent Primary School owns a Smart Card worn on a lanyard around their neck.

This card is used to access the Sun computers and is printed with the child’s photo, acts not only as an ID tag but also a unique access point to the computers. The card is not only for identification, but also data storage which allows the child to have an instant refresh that allows each child to move freely from computer to computer without needing to remember to save their work. All they have to do is plug the card in, and they are instantly back to where they were. No more carting lots of books around.

The main purpose of the clubs visit however, was to see our “Trees For Survival” unit and hear what the children looking after the unit thought about the project.

Over the last two years, they have grown a variety of vegetables which are used by the school in other projects and by other school groups as part of a wider appreciation about our ecology and sustainability.

Prior to visiting the unit, we were treated to a Power Point presentation  showing the project which enabled us to see what the progress of the unit has been over the last 2 years and see a video of the children in action last year on Tree Planting day. It was clear that planting day was a great day for the children participating as not only did they get a day out of school, they also got to see the status of the year before's planting effort and how much the trees had grown in 12 months.

It was pointed out that the children participating not only grew and planted trees to stabilise land and re-establish native Bush, but they had also established vegetable and fruit gardens at the school to learn more about where our food comes from. This has lead to other groups within the school, Science and Food Technology classes, wanting to participate in this garden project and expand the produce grown for consumption and study at the school to a wider group.

Mike Jaggs article in Presidents “Mike’s Mention” weekly report:

Any concerns we may have still had on the effectiveness of our sponsored “Trees For Survival” growing unit at Mission Heights Junior High School were well and truly laid to rest following tonight's visit. Whilst we may justifiably harbour some concerns over the TFS organisations ongoing communication, it was extremely satisfying to see how the teachers and children of the school have not only embraced this project, but have in just a two years completed 2 plantings and won awards for their schools “Enviro Club”

The five year 8 students, Connor, Shene, Amanda, Friyan and Harleen, provided us with a great presentation of their schools efforts and future goals. It was also great to taste their 'appetisers' baked using fresh vegetables from their own school garden. I for one was very impressed with how the school and students have integrated the “Trees For Survival” project into their curriculum and then extended it to the school garden which works as a teaching aid and provides fresh vegetables and herbs for their Food Technology classes. So impressed, I shall be recommending to some trusts that they invest in the schools latest project to build a new and larger self sustaining garden facility.